AirTight Networks Awarded US Patent for Wireless Intrusion Prevention System

Patent covers key technologies that are core elements of an effective WiFi IPS solution

Mountain View, CA - February 21, 2006 - AirTight^® Networks, the leading provider of wireless perimeter security solutions, today announced that the U.S. PTO (Patent and Trademarks Office) has issued U.S. patent No. 7,002,943 to AirTight Networks for a “METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR MONITORING A SELECTED REGION OF AN AIRSPACE ASSOCIATED WITH LOCAL AREA NETWORKS OF COMPUTING DEVICES”. This patent granted by the US PTO covers technologies that are key elements of wireless intrusion detection or prevention.
 
AirTight Networks’ SpectraGuard^® Enterprise wireless intrusion prevention system has established its leadership position by delivering the key elements of any effective WIPS:
 

•  detecting and correctly classifying wireless threats – to catch the threats, while minimizing false alarms
•  preventing (multiple, simultaneous) wireless threats – while continuing to scan for new ones
•  accurately locating the wireless threats on a floor map – so they can be removed.

This patent addresses technologies implementing these functionalities, which are fundamental to wireless intrusion prevention.
 
“Wireless Intrusion Prevention is a whole different ball game from Wireless Intrusion Detection,” said Lisa Phifer, Core Competence. “In wireless networks, just as in wired networks, prevention requires a far richer, more complex set of capabilities and functions than simple detection. Fast, effective threat mitigation absolutely depends upon accurate classification, efficient multi-tasking, and delivery of actionable, precise threat data.”
 
“This AirTight patent is extremely well written and comprehensive,” said Dipankar Raychaudhuri, director of the Wireless Information Network Laboratory (WINLAB) at Rutgers University, and an IEEE Fellow. “The problems that AirTight has solved are difficult technical challenges, worthy of a patent. Rather than simply carrying over techniques from wired network security, the AirTight patent approaches the problem of wireless security using fundamental properties of the open/broadcast radio medium as the very basis for strong protection.”
 
“This seminal patent validates AirTight’s leadership position as the first company to deliver and now patent a truly effective WIPS system,” said David King, Chairman and CEO of AirTight Networks. “The enterprise market is becoming more and more aware of the threats created by the proliferation of wireless technologies and the capabilities covered by this patent are essential to building wireless IPS systems to actively protect these enterprises. We intend to build on our technology and product leadership through aggressive marketing and sales efforts in 2006.”
 
These patented capabilities are the basis for AirTight’s products - the SpectraGuard® Enterprise, SpectraGuard Sentry, SpectraGuard Planner, and SpectraGuard SAFE (Security Agent For Endpoints) products. As shown in the recently released Tolly Group report, AirTight’s SpectraGuard Enterprise outperforms its competitors in wireless intrusion prevention functionality.
 
“AirTight is proud of our technical team and their engineering prowess,” said Pravin Bhagwat, CTO of AirTight Networks. “AirTight’s patent strategy and intellectual property portfolio is a key asset of the company – and a focus of company investment. Our development team is the largest in the industry, and growing – to help us maintain our lead over the competition.”

About AirTight Networks
AirTight Networks is the global leader in wireless security and compliance solutions. AirTight's patented technology protects enterprises from the growing problem of Wi-Fi security threats, while allowing organizations to better manage their WLAN environment and comply with emerging wireless compliance standards (i.e. PCI). The Company's award-winning SpectraGuard wireless intrusion prevention solution (WIPS) family provides enterprise security and compliance professionals with unparalleled capabilities to accurately detect, classify, block and locate all Wi-Fi security threats, while helping network operations staff to quickly monitor and troubleshoot WLAN performance issues. AirTight's pioneering Cloud Services family of cloud-hosted subscription services delivers the world's first and only "No Capex" multitenant WIPS, PCI wireless compliance and controller-less WLAN access solutions all in a single device.

AirTight's award-winning solutions are used by customers globally in the government, financial, retail, hospitality, telecom, technology, manufacturing, transportation, healthcare and education sectors AirTight owns the seminal patents for wireless intrusion prevention technology with 23 U.S. and international patents granted to date (UK, Australia Japan) and more than 20 additional patents pending. AirTight Networks is a privately held company based in Mountain View, CA.

Media Contacts:
Della Lowe
AirTight Networks
Tel: +1 (650) 934 8191
della.lowe@airtightnetworks.com